Legendary FC Amsterdam coach Van de Meent (84) passed away | football
Pim van de Meent passed away at the age of 84. De Hagenaar was trainer of FC Amsterdam, De Graafschap, NEC and FC Den Haag, among others.
By our sports editorsIn the fifties and sixties, Van de Meent was a professional player for Holland Sport, DOS and NEC, but he mainly caused a furore as a trainer.
Van de Meent, for example, acted as coach of the legendary FC Amsterdam, which reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1974/1975. After the elimination of Hibernians from Malta, ‘De Lieverdjes’ came across Internazionale, which had lost the European Cup I final to Ajax in 1972.
FC Amsterdam performed one of the biggest stunts ever by a Dutch club by winning 1-2 in Milan. Nico Jansen was responsible for both goals. The team from the capital needed a goalless draw in the return to continue converting.
After FC Amsterdam had defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf in the eighth finals, 1. FC Köln proved too strong a round later. Despite that dream campaign, public interest in FC Amsterdam remained limited. The team quickly sank and in 1978 Van de Meent said goodbye to the club, which was dissolved in 1982.
He was then a trainer of De Graafschap, NEC, MVV and FC Den Haag, with which he reached the final of the KNVB Cup in 1987. Ajax triumphed in the final battle. NEC Van de Meent also met a cup final of the team from Amsterdam in 1983.